6. ‘Made to Stick’ by Chip and Dan Heath

The Book:
Chip and Dan Heath draw upon their years of research in various fields, to reveal what they have learned about ‘sticky’ ideas, and the principles behind creating them.

Sticky ideas are the ones that linger, the stories you can’t quite shake, the stuff of viral videos and memorable advertising campaigns. The Heaths discuss how to use sticky ideas to get the most out of your workforce, to sell a product, or to get your story heard (and remembered).

I like how the writers mix analysis with anecdotes. The kidney-stealing story that opens the book stays with you (of course), but probably my favourite anecdote is ‘Journalism 101′, the tale of Nora Ephron’s journalism teacher who changed his students’ assumptions about journalism in one sentence.

As well as a host of useful and downright inspiring thoughts, this book also points out and explains the tendency people have to overcomplicate their ideas. ‘The Curse of Knowledge’ – once you know something you can’t ‘unknow’ it, and this stands in the way of communicating with someone who doesn’t know what you do – is a particularly compelling notion. It wasn’t something I’d thought about much before, but now I see it everywhere.

Definitely a book worth reading, whether for practical purposes or simply out of interest. Recommended for anyone who wants to know the steps to sticky ‘SUCCESs’. (Yes, one little ‘s’ – not quite the perfect acronym.)

The Background:This book was given to me by my boss, at the website marketing company where I work. Definitely full of principles I can use in my working life, and possibly also applicable to my creative writing – knowing how to catch and hold your audience’s attention is important across the board.

If you enjoyed my review, why not buy the book and let me know what you think?